Has the writing style commonly used in e-mail and text messaging hurt the writing ability of today's kids?

Question

Today's young users of e-mail, instant messaging (chatting), and text messaging commonly abbreviate many words and phrases, write in fragments, and use poor grammer in order to save time and space when using these technologies. Just take a look at many of the questions here in Yahoo! Answers. Have these practices significantly disintegrated the writing ability and grammer of today's youths?

I have taught on the college level and see horrific grammar and sentence structure - things that just don't make any sense from students who, on the basis of getting into a top university, should be among the top half of students their age in their writing ability.

Answer 1

Language and its uses have and will always be changing. look at writing from 100 years ago, 50 years ago. The style is very different, as are the lifestyles of those who penned it. today's lifestyle is all about speed: we live in an age of instant gratification, people need to get the message across fast. why? because we can. the technology is available to correct my grammar and spelling, so why should i bother typing it correctly if the computer can fix it faster, or why bother fixing it at all of the message is still understood by the reader? even the grammar and spelling of old telegrams were abbreviated and adjusted to fit the prices. what needs to be understood is that there are now two realms of language and writing. there is an informal, hyper fast world of instant messaging, where misspelling and abbreviation is expected. then there is the formal world of writing, the world of book reports, college papers, and business reports. if today's youths cannot properly distinguish between the two, then there is a problem.

Answer 2

I will not say whether kids' writing skills have become worse, simply because it's impossible to measure; however, if it has it is not the fault of technology. Kids learn how to write in school, and it is not as if technology has decreased teachers' expectations of students' writing quality.

I am a student, and I do not believe my writing has suffered from using abbreviations, etc. when communicating with friends.

I think people need to know when it is and is not appropriate to use language that they would use to communicate through email, IM, and text messaging with their peers. Obviously, students should realize that it's downright stupid to put "lol" in a research paper...

LOL.


Okay, I just had to do that.

Answer 3

In my opinion, it clearly has. A "shorthand" style of writing has a practical purpose under certain circumstances. However, the writer needs to keep the audience in mind and determine when the situation requires conventional rules of writing and grammar. To use the informal writing in cases where conventional writing is called for is as much a "faux pas" as wearing a stained tank top, ragged shorts, and flip-flops to a nice restaurant.

so ppl plz rite beter cuz u r ignorus if u cant rite btr nd ppl c u az dum

Answer 4

That's a defiantly. I'll look at my classmates' essays and I'll see something like this:

george washinton was born @ som place. if i was him i wood totaly change dis cuntry. u wood b 2 cool.

Not that exactly, but I wrote that in five seconds. Overall, grammar, spelling, and quality are most effected by "Internet speak". It also makes kids lazy. If a student gets into the habit of writing this way, it is a very hard habit to break.

Answer 5

The use of internet and email etiquette is fine in those contexts. The problem comes when the students use those conventions in a different, formal writing context.

I feel that many students write that way from habit, but most can realize that using those conventions on formal writing projects is unacceptable. It is similar to slang speech. Many students write the way they speak. It is the teacher's job to help them realize that under formal writing and speaking conditions they must use formal writing and speaking conventions.

Answer 6

Based on the grammar I've seen here in this answer game thing, yes.
However, there is the idea that they are thinking and writing, and grammar/spelling can be fixed. Ideas are often the hardest to come by.

Answer 7

YES!!! That's not to say that it should be banned or anything, but they should be reminded that they need to check over all their papers so they catch any mistakes like that. And although it's near impossible to even think of in this day in age, maybe IMing shouldn't be allowed while they are typing a paper? It would help them to stay focused on which type of "language" they should be using for that particular task. Just a thought.

Answer 8

The use of email and IM has certainly added fuel to the fire...the fire being, of course, the ever-lowering requirements in reading and writing skills. Why, look around and see how many people have no clue how to use an apostrophe!

P.S. It's spelled "grammar"

Answer 9

Interesting question.
My response would be yes, indeed.
That means we, as parents and educators, must work that much harder to ensure our kids learn to spell, and write well despite what's cool to use on instant messaging.
Doo U know what I mean? Good luck 2 U.

Answer 10

No it has not. All of those things encourage communication, especially writing.

All of those forms of communication however, have created a generation of people who can't spell much at all without a spell checker, and can't write anything without using a numeral!